16 December 2011

It's my first mock draft of the season as so many clubs are already looking ahead to the 2012 NFL Draft to help turn their fortunes. Andrew Luck is the presumptive top choice at this point but how do I think the draft will shake out? Why, let's take a look.

15 December 2011

This actually happened. Texas Governor Rick Perry, whose candidacy for the Republican nomination for President has sunken after flying so high at the start of his campaign and now he is trying to build his support back up as we near the Iowa Caucuses on January 3rd, declared that he was the 'Tim Tebow' of the Iowa Caucuses. And no, I have no idea what the hell that means. Let's go to the videotape.

14 December 2011

Chris Paul is finally headed out of the Big Easy. The NBA, orchestrating trade negotiations after the controversial shutdown of the Paul trade to the Los Angeles Lakers, agreed to a deal with the Los Angeles Clippers for Eric Gordon, Chris Kamen, Al-Farouq Aminu and a first round draft pick from the Minnesota Timberwolves. What does this trade mean for both teams?

The National Football League has just announced a new television contract with its over-the-air partners, CBS, Fox and NBC through the 2022 NFL season. Here are the key details of the new deal, the first without a new TV partner since Fox gained the rights to the NFC in 1993.

So you have probably heard that the owner of the New Jersey (soon to be Brooklyn) Nets, the Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, announced he is running for President of Russia against, among other candidates, Prime Minister and former President Vladimir Putin. So what does this announcement mean for the Nets?

The man who helped orechestrate Mike Leach's firing at Texas Tech is now running for the United States Senate, naturally. ESPN broadcaster and former SMU star running back Craig James will file today to run for the Republican nomination for the Senate seat currently held by Kay Bailey Hutchinson, who will be retiring at the end of her current term.
James has been suspected of running for the seat for a while now and will be in for an interesting race for the nomination considering his name recognition and his lack of political experience. Texas Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst had led most of the GOP primary polling thus far so it will be interesting to see how James starts off at in the next poll.
Not to mention to get this terrible analyst off of ESPN, who must be happy they don't have to worry about people getting furious at the fact he was still employed.

12 December 2011

We now have the third fired head coach of the 2011 NFL season, including the second of the day, in Tony Sparano, who was relieved by the Miami Dolphins today. The Dolphins had won four out of five after starting the season off losing their first seven games but lost to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday by a 26-10 score and the game was not even that close. Sparano earned a lot of praise leading the previously one win Dolphins to a division title in his first year on the job in 2008 but had two consecutive 7-9 seasons, which would have been the best he could have done this year. He entered the season on very tenuous grounds in Miami Gardens after receiving a half-assed contract extension after owner Stephen Ross chased around Jim Harbaugh like a dog (or Jeff Parles) chasing the mailman (or Jeff Parles). Sparano leaves South Florida with a 29-32 record. Assistant head coach and defensive backs coach Todd Bowles will be the interim coach.

It's been a topsy-turvy year thus far for the Kansas City Chiefs. They started off the year 0-3, during which I labeled them clearly the worst team in football. Then they rattled off a four game winning streak and took the lead in the AFC Worst West. But now they have lost five out of six, sitting at 5-8 after a thorough beatdown in the Meadowlands on Sunday and head coach Todd Haley has gotten the axe. The Chiefs went 19-26 in two plus years in the Haley tenure, one that experienced lows and a high of winning the division last year but as Haley has struggled to find an offensive coordinator he could get along with, as Matt Cassel continued to suck and injuries to many key players took its toll, this is not a surprise. Romeo Crennel will be the interim coach for the balance of the year.
As for what is next for Haley, I'd surprised if he did not become an offensive coordinator for some team next year. I have a feeling Jets fans, who rail on Brian Schottenheimer like it's their job (and probably is), will be pulling for him to return to the Jets (worked in the organization from 1995-2000).

This Sunday on CBS Sports will be a doubleheader slate comprised of three games in the early slot (Bengals-Rams, Titans-Colts and Dolphins-Bills) and three games in the late slot (Patriots-Broncos, Jets-Eagles and Browns-Cardinals). Continue reading for announcing assignments as well as distribution splits courtesy of JP of The506.

Six games on your Fox network this Sunday and you will be watching one of them as Fox has a singleheader slate of action this week. The games are Redskins-Giants, Packers-Chiefs, Saints-Vikings, Seahawks-Bears and Panthers-Texans at 1:00 and Lions-Raiders at 4:05. Continue reading for announcing assignments and distribution splits.

11 December 2011

Ryan Succop of the Kansas City Chiefs is a pretty good kicker by all accounts. But unfortunately for him today while getting blown out by the New York Jets, he may have done the worst onside kick attempt ever. Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts of CBS found it hilarious. Let's go to the videotape.

There are not many things as painful as throwing an interception in the end zone, with the exception of hanging out with Ray McDowell. With his club only up by a score, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady threw a critical interception in the end zone. After that on the sidelines, he and offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien were not exactly in sympathetic mood. Let's go to the videotape.

So yesterday in Bloomington, the Indiana Hoosiers upset the top ranked Kentucky Wildcasts 73-72 on a last second threeball. Watch Dick Vitale lose his mind and the guy operating the ESPN scoring graphic fail miserably. Let's go to the videotape.